Lost Heaven
by Mii-Chan 24
Summary: One-shot. Ever wonder what happened to Ari after he expired in Germany? Just a little something I thought up of in the middle of the night. Read and Review!


**Lost Heaven**

**By Amaya 24**

**A/N: This was just a little something I cooked up a few weeks ago. I just didnt' know where it was going. This here fic is set (loosely) after STWAOES and just a tad before TFW. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, I wouldn't be writing it **_**here**_**, now, would I?**

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"Ari?"

I looked up, confused. Where was I?

"Ari. Please, dear. Get up from the grass. You're getting dirty."

I shook my head, touching my ear worriedly. Who said that? I tried to open my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. I frowned.

"Don't worry about it, dear. That's how it is for everyone at first." I closed my mouth, my head hurting. What happened?

"Well, if you get off the grass, I'll explain it to you." I blinked, sitting up. I was sitting on grass. I looked up, around me, and saw a tree next to my side. Everywhere else was green grass. It was pretty, but too bright.

"Ari? We _do_ have a time schedule, you know." I looked around, but couldn't see anybody. Where was I?

With a jolt, my tired brain remembered everything: me, Max, Nudge, Angel, and their little dog --Total?-- were in Germany, fighting all those Flyboys and mutants and stuff. That Director lady, Marian whatever, had made that pretty boy Omega fight Max. That was when the little bir-- I mean, when Angel mind-controlled the mutants and started a riot.

I was fighting two Flyboys when... I shook my head, trying to remember. What happened?

"Honestly. Ari, dear? Please pay attention. I'm up here." I blinked at the voice, then looked up. A few branches from the tree poked over me.

Sitting on one of the branches stood a blond woman, smiling kindly at me. She looked familiar, but I didn't know from where... My jaw dropped as I realized, like one of those old cartoons.

The lady smiled and jumped down. She was wearing a white dress, and her hair was hanging down. She glanced down at me, waiting for me to stand up.

I swallowed, then opened my mouth. "Mom?"

No sound came out, but she got the basics. She nodded, opening her arms. I jumped up and rushed at her, hugging her tight and holding back tears. Dad had a lot of pictures of her, from before I was born. She looked exactly like that, but her eyes were lighter, happier.

"Ari, dear." She cooed, stroking my hair. "I missed you so much."

I nodded into her stomach, biting back a sob. My mind was whirring painfully, but her smell -- like flowers -- drove it all out of my head. One tiny thing was able to go through, though.

I pulled away from her, looking at my hands. My _normal-looking hands_. I looked down, and saw I was wearing jeans and a light blue shirt. I didn't look wolfy. I didn't look like an Eraser anymore.

I pinched myself, then looked up at my mom, who was staring at me curiously. She saw me look at my hands again, then smiled sadly.

"That's right, Ari. You're not an Eraser anymore." She sounded so sad, I ran back and hugged her. It felt so weird; I was used to being taller. She started messing with my hair again, her hands warm.

"What happened?" I croaked, happy that sound came out. All I could remember was... Max. She seemed so sad, almost crying about something. She was my sister; I remembered that. So why was she crying? Didn't she _want_ to be my sister?

Mom chuckled. "Oh, dear. It's not that. Max wasn't crying because she was upset with you. She was crying because..." She stopped, staring hard at me and making me fidget.

"Sweetie, do you know where you are?" I shook my head, looking all around me. All I could see was green grass and a few random trees popping up here and there.

Mom shifted and I turned back to her. She knelt down infront of me, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Try, sweetheart. Think. Remember what happened." I frowned, but closed my eyes. All I remembered was Max, fighting Flyboys left and right. Then...

"A Flyboy came after me," I whispered, thinking hard. "I hit it where Dad said to hit, and it went down..."

"Go on."

"And... And then... Max..." My head hurt a little. Mom stroked my hair again.

"You've almost got it, Ari dear. Try a little harder. Think about the School in California. When you and Max talked that first day." I nodded, scrunching my eyes closed.

"She was... she was trying to get me to help her escape, tryin' to get me to escape with them. Then I told her we couldn't and that..." I snapped my eyes open and felt my hand go to the back of my neck. I turned to my Mom.

"I told her about my expiration date, and how they'd let me live 'cause I was Jeb's son..." I said slowly, my stomach hurting when I remembered when they had told me I was going to die. I looked up to my Mom, feeling sad.

"Did I die?" She nodded sadly, and I felt my eyes get all watery. I was scared... but why?

"I'm so sorry, dear." Mom told me, hugging me tight. "I wish so much it could be different, but you reached your expiration date."

I sniffled, feeling sad. "What about Max? Is she okay? I told her I'd protect her."

Mom smiled. "Don't worry about Max. She's doing fine. She's just a little sad because of what happened to you."

I gulped. "Did she get back together with Fang and the others?" I used to hate Fang, but they were just trying to survive, just like me. Mom nodded.

"Fang is very sad to hear that you... passed on." I looked at her, surprised.

"Fang didn't like me." Mom laughed.

"I think he realized what he was passing up." I nodded, not really understanding all that well what she meant. Then I looked at the green little hill we were on.

"Mom? What happens now?" Mom smiled at me, holding my hand.

"Now? Why, Ari, you move on. We've been waiting for you." She pulled at me slightly, and we walked forward. My eyes got bigger when I saw the white doorway before us. _That_ hadn't been there before.

I stopped, making Mom look back. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I'm scared." Mom smiled slightly.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, dear. And I'll be with you every step of the way." I nodded and stepped into the light, feeling happier than I had ever felt.

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**I figured Ari needed some closing. And yeah, I felt bad for him. Review, anyone?**


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